DAVAO CITY – The families of Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, the two Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles who drowned at a resort in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8, are demanding accountability from the Katipunan-based school and full disclosure about the incident, their legal counsel said Saturday, June 13.
In a statement read by Israelito Torreon, counsel for the Baterbonia family, Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin expressed remorse in a public video message but did not provide answers to key questions, including who authorized the team-building activity.
“What safety precautions were taken, the sequence of events from 2:30 p.m. until emergency services were called, why the team was positioned away from the resort’s lifeguard-protected area, or why no water safety personnel were deployed,” Torreon asked during a press conference.
He said the victims’ families are seeking five specific actions from the university, not statements from “nameless, faceless, and sterile” faculty members.
First, they want Ateneo to designate a clear point of contact to directly communicate with the families of Baterbonia, 18, and Adili, 21.
Second, they ask that teammates be allowed to speak freely about the incident, with institutional guarantees that they can do so without fear of losing scholarships or roster positions.
Third to fifth, Torreon said, are: a full account of what happened during the team’s stay, including activities, instructions, warnings, and precautions taken or not taken; acknowledgment that the tragedy occurred under Ateneo’s watch; and unconditional support for both families.
Rovelyn, Baterbonia’s mother, is still working to bring her son home. She said she learned of his death through a phone call she almost ignored, thinking it was a fan ordering jersey merchandise.
She only confirmed his passing through a video call while he was in transit.
Baterbonia, the second of seven children from Talacogon, Agusan del Sur, left for Manila on June 4, just four days before his death.
He had told his coach at Ateneo de Davao that he would not return home for five years, determined to lift his family out of poverty.
Torreon said the Adili family in Nigeria has also reached out to the law firm. They are mourning and waiting for answers, noting that Divine came to the Philippines to play basketball for Ateneo.
Faculty members have urged humility and asked the administration to acknowledge wrongdoing in line with Ateneo’s Jesuit values of magis, cura personalis, and being “men and women for others.”
“There does not have to be years of litigation,” the statement said. “Rene wanted five years. He had four days. Ateneo knows what to do. It has always been known.”
It added that what is needed is what Ateneo has taught for a century: “Examined conscience, honest admission, genuine reckoning, and commitment to make things right.”
Torreon and lawyer Jimmy Bondoc are representing the Baterbonia family pro bono.
They are also verifying a video allegedly from Efii Kalogirou, Baldwin’s wife, claiming she had warned Ateneo that “children were not safe around him” and had called for his removal from campus. Torreon said the video could be significant if confirmed authentic.
